Smart bed alerts kids when monsters lurk under the bed

At the Consumer Electronics Show last week, news of smart cars, wearable technology, and life-like robots flooded the show floor as well as news feeds for anyone who was not in attendance at the show. And as technology becomes more prevalent within the “smart home” and “connected home” categories, one product launch had people buzzing about monsters under the bed.

Sleep Number, a designer and manufacturer of mattresses and other sleep innovation products, launched the SleepIQ Kids bed during last week’s CES. The bed, which is based on the same technology used in the manufacturer’s x12 smart bed for adults, monitors and reports back on the sleep habits of children. The SleepIQ Kids bed uses sensor technology that works directly with the bed’s DualAir feature to assess motion and pressure. The bed can also track the inhabitant’s heart rate and breathing throughout the sleep cycle, and integrates the data to delineate the child’s SleepIQ score upon waking.

The SleepIQ Kids bed is also interactive. Equipped with a sleep dashboard, available via an Android app or on a computer’s desktop, the bed can report to parents in real time if their children are sleeping or if they’ve gotten out of bed for some reason. The bed can also incline if the child wants to read or is congested. In addition, the SleepIQ Kids bed is equipped with soft lighting to guide children when they get up in the middle of the night.

During the 2014 International CES, Sleep Number’s adult version of this bed launched to much anticipation and hype throughout the industry. However, the SleepIQ Kids bed has one important feature that the adult version doesn’t: a monster detector that alerts users when a scary creature is under the bed. Using a tablet or smartphone and pointing it in the direction of the bottom of the bed, an icon will appear on the screen to alert users when there is, or is not, a monster under the bed.  

The bed, which will be available later this year in twin, full, and queen size options, is also designed to grow with children as they age. It assesses whether stress, diet, and other activities are impacting the sleep cycles of children. After a child turns 10 years old, he or she can review and analyze the Sleep IQ scores to examine how food intake, exercise, and screen time affect quality of sleep. The hope is that—empowered with this information—children will take responsibility for their choices and make better decisions in order to feel better over time. The bed is expected to retail for approximately $1,000.

Via Mashable